dominion
mem.sha.lah denotes a realm under control or the authority exercised in ruling, including the lights’ rule of day and night.
The term most often identifies the land, places, or people under a ruler’s control, as in the land under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule and all places belonging to divine rule. It can also describe ruling authority itself, including authority placed into someone’s hand and the ordered rule of the greater and lesser lights.
Senses in use
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Realm or territory under control · dominant
Construct forms occur in descriptions of a ruler’s extent of control: in 1 Kings 9:19 the APB renders Solomon’s building activity as extending throughout “the land of his dominion,” while Jeremiah 34:1 speaks of kingdoms and land under Nebuchadnezzar’s control. Psalm 103:22 similarly locates the LORD’s works in “all places of his dominion.”
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Ruling authority or ordered rule · common
In Genesis 1:16 the construct form stands in the statement that the greater and lesser lights rule day and night; Psalm 136:8 and Psalm 136:9 repeat that arrangement for the sun, moon, and stars. Isaiah 22:21 places authority into a man’s hand, and Micah 4:8 anticipates the return of former rule to the daughter of Jerusalem.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the relevant clauses with “dominion,” especially for lands, places, and kingdoms under control; it also uses “authority” in Isaiah 22:21 and “to rule” in the accounts of the lights. These renderings indicate the sense of each clause rather than a fixed English equivalent.